“Lovers (for Philadelphia)” has been created specifically for and inspired by Philadelphia, and is an expansion of Cline’s ravishing project “Lovers,” released on Blue Note Records in 2016, which “puts an elegant, knowing spin on orchestral jazz” (The New York Times).

The first “book” of Lovers material featured originals by Cline along with renditions of love songs by a wild assortment of composers ranging from Rogers & Hammerstein to Hungarian gypsy jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo to noise-rock pioneers Sonic Youth. With support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Ars Nova Workshop has taken Cline on a rich yearlong journey to explore Philadelphia’s extraordinary musical legacy and landscape, not only artistically but in the context of Philadelphia’s long history of innovation. As “Workshop of the World,” Philadelphia has been home to a grand spectrum of developments that have influenced every facet of American life.